While many fans are keenly watching how Iga Świątek’s trajectory evolves under new coach Francisco Roig, former American player Brad Gilbert has voiced measured concerns about the partnership’s potential. He noted he would be particularly interested to see whether Roig adapts his approach to suit a player like Świątek, something Gilbert felt was lacking during the Spaniard’s stint with Emma Raducanu.
What Brad Gilbert Thinks About Francisco Roig’s Stint with Emma Raducanu
Świątek hired Wim Fissette in October 2024 after ending her three-year partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski. Fissette subsequently played a crucial role as a coach, guiding the Pole to her maiden Wimbledon title and titles in Cincinnati and Seoul.
However, her graph couldn’t follow its usual upward curve in 2026. Despite leading Team Poland to the United Cup title, she exited in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, and the Indian Wells Open before suffering a surprising second-round loss at the Miami Open. This string of underwhelming results was followed by her split with Fissette.
It was reported earlier this month that the former world No. 1 chose to link up with Rafael Nadal and Emma Raducanu’s former coach, Roig, at the Rafa Nadal academy in Mallorca. A joint training session between the two subsequently led to a stint that is still making waves. Notably, Świątek had announced this news online.
Roig does have an established coaching résumé, having served as Rafael Nadal’s assistant from 2005 to 2022. However, Gilbert believes that stepping up as Świątek’s lead coach presents a very different challenge.
“So he was the assistant coach for almost 18 years for Rafael Nadal and after 11 years, Rafa makes the switch from uncle Tony, it’s not Roic, it’s Carlos Moyá. So, there’s guys who have been great assistant coaches in the NFL, like a Josh McDaniels, but when he’s had his coaching chances, it hasn’t gone that well. Obviously, this being the first time that he’s gonna be coaching somebody of this pedigree, it would be interesting to see if he can adapt to the player,” the former world No. 4 said recently on “The Big T Podcast.”
It is worth noting that Roig was also part of a short stint with Raducanu, which began last August and ended after the Australian Open in January. The former US Open champion also suggested that the decision to part ways may have stemmed from Roig, who questioned the direction of their partnership after the Melbourne Major.
Gilbert also believes that Roig and Raducanu seemed misaligned on Raducanu’s playing style, which contrasted with Gilbert’s own coaching style.
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“Because Emma, and him, seemed like they had a difference in how she should play or wanted to play. And I like to think of Nick as a coach. I don’t have a style. I feel like whenever I am coaching a player I’m just thinking about adapting to them but how am I going to make them a better player? What do they need to work on? What do we need to manage to get better?” he asked.
Roig’s coaching résumé also includes a stint with Matteo Berrettini and a short spell with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard right before he joined Świątek’s team. It will be interesting to see how his journey with the six-time Grand Slam champion unfolds.
